


The Queen's Daughter

by Rioghna



Series: The Queen's Daughter [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 18:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6389113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rioghna/pseuds/Rioghna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Charming never got Emma into the wardrobe, and Regina decides that the best revenge is to raise her herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Queen's Daughter

The Queen's Daughter

The Enchanted Forest--

The Evil Queen swept through the castle, the curse at her heels. She laughed. Her revenge was at hand and soon, the only happy ending would be hers.

"Your Majesty, we have captured Snow White," one of the guards reported as he rushed towards her.

"And the child?" she asked, sharply.

"The Prince has it, Your Majesty, but we..."

"Find them," she ordered. "I don't want them escaping before my curse begins."

"We have him," someone shouted from the top of the stairs. The Queen quickened her pace. At the top of the tower, she found Charming surrounded by guards. In his arms, the small bundle squirmed and made soft noises.

"So, the brave, handsome prince. This time there is no escape," she said. "My curse is coming for you all."

"What do we do with this?" one of the guards asked, snatching the babe from its father's arms as he fell, unconscious from a sword hilt to the skull.

"Take..." She paused, looking down. "Actually, give it here," Regina said, changing her mind. She looked down into the blanket at the bright blue eyes. "I will take her." What better revenge could there be than taking their child and raising her.

 

Storybrooke, Maine-- Ten years later

 

"Cora Ann Mills," Regina called out. "Hurry up and get in here, we don't have all day."

"Yes Mother," the little blond girl said as she came in and slid into the chair at the kitchen table where a bowl of cereal awaited.

"Finish up. We need to get going if I'm going to drive you, and don't forget your lunch this time."

"I don't need to be driven, really. I'm old enough to walk," Cora moaned. It was embarrassing. It was bad enough that her mother was the mayor and that most of the kids didn't really let her forget it, but then she insisted on driving her to school _every day_. Really, she was _so_ overprotective.

"I know you are old enough," Regina said. "But I just want to make sure you are safe. Besides, don't I let you walk to the office after school?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cora whispered. _Only because you are working, and because you fired the last nanny, not that I am not way too old for a nanny,_ she thought. Her mother had hired and fired about a half a dozen nannies to date and those were the ones she remembered. They usually lasted just long enough for her to get used to them (and figure out how to get around them), when her mom got rid of them. Cora loved her mom, she really did, but she was just _so overbearing_. Plus she was certain that Mom had bugged her cell phone. Then, when she wasn't around, Cora was absolutely sure that creepy Sidney Glass was watching her. He had a thing for her mom, which was so gross.

"Now, hurry, we are going to be late," Regina said, distracting her from those thoughts and leaving the room to get her briefcase.

Cora watched her mother leave, then she hurried to put her other plan into action. She ducked into the closet and pulled out the package she had stuck in there. Stuffing it into her backpack, she prayed that her mother didn't notice how stuffed it was. This afternoon she had something to do.

 

The shop bell rang out in the quiet of the pawnshop at just after three o'clock. "Good afternoon, Miss Mills," he said, not even bothering to look up. He could practically set his watch by her. It was a strange sort of friendship, if it could be called that. It started out quite by accident. It had been pouring rain when the girl ducked in, dripping all over his floor like a wet, bedraggled dog.

"Don't move," he'd snapped at her. "You'll get my floor wet."

"Then you should get me something to dry off with," she had said back.

From there, a pattern had developed between the reclusive and hated pawnbroker and the Mayor's daughter. No one would suspect it. Everyone knew that the mayor hated Mr. Gold, and Mr. Gold, well, he hated everyone. It was the one place that she could go to hide from her mother. She enjoyed her little time in his cave of wonder. Gold would tell her stories sometimes, about the town, the things in the shop. Sometimes she thought he was just lonely.

"Mr. Gold," Emma called on this particular day as she rushed up to the counter, her blond braid bouncing in excitement.  "I've got something I need to show you."

"Oh?  And what could you possibly have to show me, dear? Did you borrow something from your mother?" he asked with a half smile.

"Not exactly. I found it, in the basement, in an old trunk. I was looking for something about my family. Some of the kids tease me, they think I'm not my mom's real daughter. Sometimes...sometimes, I don't think so either," Cora whispered.

Gold shook his head. "Come into the back," he told her. "We wouldn't want anyone to see you. It would ruin my reputation, not to mention your hiding place."

"Nah, no one would believe it," she said matter of factly as she walked past him into the back room. He shook his head and followed. She was a brave one, that was sure. The girl had wandered into his shop and he hadn't quite been able to get rid of her, not that he had tried too hard. Cora was brave, curious, and, unlike her mother, completely guileless. There was something about her that reminded him of someone he knew, a long time ago, though he couldn't quite remember who.

"Tea?" Gold asked as he tapped his way across the floor.

"Sure," Cora said as she pulled her back pack off and set it in the chair so she could open it. He nodded and set the electric kettle to boil. "So, I was looking for something. I mean, my mother doesn't really talk about my grandparents or even my dad. So I thought..."

"You decided to snoop," Gold said with a vague smile.

"It's not snooping, I just want to know where I come from," she explained. "Anyway, I didn't find anything except this." Out of the backpack, she pulled a hand knitted cream baby blanket. "See, it has a name in the corner." She showed him, turning it over. "It says 'Emma'. I don't know of anyone in town with that name, do you know who it is?"

Gold froze. _Emma_ , the name echoed through his head. Then images began to flood into his mind, so fast that for a moment, he thought he was going to fall.

"Mr. Gold, are you all right?" Cora asked. "Do I need to call 911 or something?"

"I'm fine," he snapped just a little, and then, more softly, "it's nothing. I just..."

"So do you know who this Emma is?"she asked, looking back at the blanket.

Gold smiled, his devious mind turning, free once more. Now he knew who he was, now things were going to change. "I believe I do. Let me finish the tea, and then I have a story to tell you."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this. It was a strange little story idea that just wouldn't go away. Hope you enjoyed it.


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